57 Simple Living Quotes (That Will Inspire You)

Here are my favorite inspiring simple living quotes to motivate you to declutter, gain clarity and nurture gratitude. 

These inspiring quotes are great reminders of the power of simple living, from decluttering and gratitude to managing time and controlling your social media.

Jot them down in your favorite journal, or keep them in a Pinterest board, whenever you need to re-align your values or get inspired to live simpler and slower.

Simple living quotes

On decluttering

1. “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it.” – Joshua Becker

2. “Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris

3. “We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.” – Dave Ramsey

4. “Intentionally choosing to live an uncluttered, minimalist and slower life. I want to make time and space for the people and experiences that are most important for our family.” – Melissa from Simple Lionheart Life

5. “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” – Henry David Thoreau

6. “Every area in our life that is full of stuff is crowding out relationships. As we get rid of the things that consume our time and stress, we make room for those we love the most.” – Jeff Goins

7. “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is the special occasion.” – Toby Mac

8. “The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” – Joshua Becker

9. “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” – Marie Kondo

10. “A home with fewer possessions is more spacious, more calming, and more focused on the people who live inside it.” – Joshua Becker

11. “Be a curator of your life. Slowly cut things out until you’re left only with what you love, with what’s necessary, with what makes you happy.” – Leo Babauta

12. “Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all.” – Nathan W. Morris

On gratitude:

13. “Think how joyous each and every day could be when you are making the most of what you have.” – Chrissy Halton

14. “If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey

15. “The greatest wealth is to live content with little.” – Plato

16. “Living with only the bare essentials has not only provided superficial benefits such as the pleasure of a tidy room or the simple ease of cleaning, it has also led to a more fundamental shift. It’s given me a chance to think about what it really means to be happy.” – Fumio Sasaki

17. “When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.” – Kristin Armstrong

18. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

19. “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Epictetus

20. “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

21. “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus

22. “The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.” – Hannah Whitall Smith

23. “Happiness cannot be traveled to owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

On managing time:

24. “Life is as simple as these three questions: What do I want? Why do I want it? And, how will I achieve it?” – Shannon L. Alder

25. “My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.” – Francine Jay

26. “I will not say yes when my heart says no.” – Courtney Carver

27. “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” – Annie Dillard

28. “I don’t say no because I am so busy. I say no because I don’t want to be so busy.” – Courtney Carver

29. “Simplicity boils down to two things: identify the essential and eliminate the rest.” – Leo Babauta

30. “Being organized isn’t about getting rid of everything you own or trying to become a different person, it’s about living the way you want to live, but better.” – Andrew Mellen

31. “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.” – Charles Spurgeon

32. “The key is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Steve Covey

33. “Do the work of naming the highest, eulogy-worthy priorities in your life. Then do the work of putting them at the center of your life, every day.” – Brooke McAlary

34. “When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar.” – Victoria Moran

On slowing down:

35. “Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” – Socrates

36. “A person must be selective with their time and energy because both elements of life are limited.” – Kilroy J. Oldster

37. Life is better when we don’t try to do everything. Learn to enjoy the slice of life you experience, and life turns out to be wonderful.” – Leo Babauta

38. “When we are content, our daily actions are infused with a quiet satisfaction that we share with those around us. We become aware of and responsible for other people’s well-being and they, in turn, for ours.” – Louisa Thomsen Brits

39. “Simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world.” – Oscar Wilde

40. “There are often many things we feel we should do that, in fact, we don’t really have to do. Getting to the point where we can tell the difference is a major milestone in the simplification process.” – Elaine St. James

41. “A person who knows who they are lives a simple life by eliminating from their orbit anything that does not align with his or her overriding purpose and values. A person must be selective with their time and energy because both elements of life are limited.” – Kilroy J. Oldster

42. “Set expectations for yourself that are not based on what you believe everyone else is doing.” – Julie Hage

43. “Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.” – Edwin Way Teale

On appreciating nature:

44. “The troubles of modern life come from being divorced from nature.” – Isaac Asimov

45. “To find the universal elements enough, to find the air and the water exhilarating, to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter … to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life.” – John Burroughs

46. “If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” – Eleonora Duse

47. “Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” – Khalil Gibran

48. “To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.” – Helen Keller

49. “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” – Henry David Thoreau

50. “The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” – Joseph Campbell

51. “Nature teaches us simplicity and contentment because in its presence we realize we need very little to be happy.” – Mark Coleman

On technology:

52. “Humans are not wired to be constantly wired.” – Cal Newport

53. “The tycoons of social media have to stop pretending that they’re friendly nerd gods building a better world and admit they’re just tobacco farmers in T-shirts selling an addictive product to children. Because, let’s face it, checking your “likes” is the new smoking.” – Cal Newport

54. “Leisure Lesson #1: Prioritize demanding activity over passive consumption.” – Cal Newport

55. “The purpose of a camera is to capture memories, not replace them.” – Abhijit Naskar

56. “Too often too much social media and the latest internet trends drain us and erode us of creativity, drive, peace of mind and sense of purpose. ” – Germany Kent

57. “The word ‘friend’ has become so utterly void of meaning in a world governed by social media. How can anyone truly claim to have eleven hundred friends? In my book that would involve making time to meet at least three of them every day of the year.” – Alex Morritt

Read 9 Tips for Simple Living for more practical tips!

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